ARTICLE I Name, Mission, Purpose: The name of the organization shall be Eagle FEATHERS/Emmons Lake Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). Emmons Lake PTO for short. It is the mission of the Emmons Lake PTO to support quality education for the elementary students at Emmons Lake Elementary School and to encourage parental involvement. The purpose of this PTO shall be to support the teachers and students of Emmons Lake through programs and funding when these items cannot be attained by the regular school budget.
ARTICLE II Membership: All parents with currently enrolled students, teachers, and administrators at Emmons Lake Elementary School are automatically members of the Emmons Lake PTO.
ARTICLE III Election of Officers:
Section 1: Officers Members of Emmons Lake PTO shall elect a Board consisting of no less than four (4) officers. The Officer's Board shall consist of one President, one Vice President, one Treasurer, and one Secretary.
Section 2: Nominations & Elections The election of the Board shall be held during a PTO general meeting by written ballot or oral nominations and voting. Nominations are open to all members of the Emmons Lake PTO by either verbal or written submission to the Board. Nominations may also be taken on the floor. Section 3: Term of Service Board Officers shall be elected to serve for a term of two (2) school years for the elected period except for the VP whose role expectation is to move into President role concurrently after the VP term. Board Officers can be re-elected for same or different roles as long as will have a current Emmons Lake student while serving.
Section 4: Attendance Each Board Officer shall attend the general PTO meeting and any Board meeting called by the President (or other officer or Principal). If they are not able to be in attendance they shall communicate their absence to the President or Vice President.
Section 5: Removal of Office To remove an officer before their term expires, a written resolution with at least ten (10) signatures of current Emmons Lake PTO members must be submitted to the entire Board. In order for such a submission to be actionable, paperwork must be submitted to a Board member at least fourteen (14) calendar days prior to the next scheduled general PTO meeting in order to facilitate distribution to the entire Board. A vote on the resolution shall be taken no later than the next scheduled general PTO meeting. For an officer to remove themselves before term expires they need to formally notify all board members at least fourteen (14) calendar days prior to next scheduled PTO meeting; at said general meeting all attendees will have a chance to nominate an interim or permanent replacement until next scheduled office election period.
Section 6: Filling a Vacancy To fill any vacancy that occurs prior to the expiration of the term, the position shall be filled as soon as possible by a nomination from the floor at a special election or regularly scheduled general meeting.
ARTICLE IV Meetings: The Board shall conduct general meetings at least once every other month during the school year to carry on the necessary business of the organization. The dates and times of these meetings will be scheduled by the Principal and/or the Board and publicized in advance. All meetings are open to all members.
At least one teacher and/or the Principal shall be present (in person or virtually) at each general meeting. Any meeting of the Board Officers may also be scheduled periodically by any of the Officers of the Board and/or the Emmons Lake Principal to carry on any necessary business of the organization between regularly scheduled meetings. The Board shall have the power to create standing committees, approve work plans, prepare a budget, approve projects, and authorize expenditures (not to exceed $250.00) when necessary.
ARTICLE V Governance: Emmons Lake PTO shall be governed by consent of a majority of the members present at that general meeting. These bylaws shall be approved and/or amended by the majority consent of the members present with notice given at least two weeks prior to any changes.
To dissolve this organization, there must be a majority vote by the membership. At such time, everything owned or the money in the treasury account will automatically be transferred to Emmons Lake Elementary School.
ARTICLE VI Duties of Officers:
President The President shall: 1. Prepare agendas and conduct general PTO and Board meetings 2. Act as the liaison between the Principal, Teacher Representative, and Board Officers 3. Bring any item(s) of business from the membership of the Board for discussion and action 4. Represent Emmons Lake PTO at school and community functions 5. Work with the Board and members to staff PTO functions 6. Line up chairpersons for all events 7. Help create and also adhere to the budget voted on by the membership 8. Ensure that the Treasurer is using correct bookkeeping practices and reports financials at the meetings 9. Ensure that the Secretary is correctly keeping minutes of the meetings and making available when requested. 10. Update the handbook and/or volunteer sheets 11. In general, ensure all events or responsibilities that the PTO has done in the past are covered for the current school year 12. Keep a notebook to use it as a reference and guide
Vice President The Vice President shall: 1. Perform the duties of the President in his/her absence 2. Help oversee any committees as agreed upon by the Board 3. Give assistance and/or guidance as needed to the Board 4. Report to the Board on any committee activities at each meeting or as needed 5. Move up to the role of President, if needed
Treasurer The Treasurer shall: 1. Receive funds and deposit them 2. Pay bills as authorized by the Board 3. Submit reimbursement checks within a five (5) day period of receiving approved expenditures that are accompanied by a request with receipts 4. Report on current expenditures and balances at each meeting 5. Balance/reconcile the monthly bank account statement 6. Create an annual budget with the President for approval of the majority of PTO members 7. Monitor the bank statement and any monies coming in via fundraisers or donations 8. Conduct other financial affairs as assigned 9. Insure that any member may inspect all books and records for any proper purpose at any reasonable time 10. Oversee committees as agreed upon by the Board 11. Give assistance and/or guidance as needed to the Board 12. Report to the Board on committee activities at each meeting or as needed
Secretary The Secretary shall: 1. Take minutes at general membership and Board meetings 2. Submit copies of general meeting minutes to all officers upon request 3. Provide updates from previous general meeting minutes when needed 4. Oversee committees as agreed upon by the Board 5. Give assistance and/or guidance as needed 6. Report to the Board on committee activities as each meeting or as needed
Committee Chair The Committee Chair shall: 1. Take minutes at general membership and Board meetings 2. Submit copies of general meeting minutes to all officers upon request 3. Provide updates from previous general meeting minutes when needed 4. Oversee committees as agreed upon by the Board 5. Give assistance and/or guidance as needed 6. Report to the Board on committee activities as each meeting or as needed
ARTICLE VII Financial Guidelines:
Section 1: Fiscal Year The fiscal year of the Emmons Lake PTO shall begin on August 1 and end on July 31 to best match the school calendar.
Section 2: Compensation Any person volunteering at a PTO event or serving in an official PTO position shall not be compensated by the PTO.
Section 3: Bank Account & Checks There shall always be two (2) signers on the PTO bank account but only one (1) signature required for checks, normal standard to be the acting President and Treasurer. A maximum of two (2) debit/credit cards should be assigned to account unless otherwise voted for special need, normal standard should be the acting President and Treasurer.
Section 4: Bank Statements Bank statements shall be sent to Emmons Lake Elementary School. The statement will be reviewed monthly by the Emmons Lake designated office member on the account, Principal, or another Board member. Then the statement should be given to the Treasurer to reconcile the account and prepare a monthly report. This should be looked over, printed, and brought to next meeting with a financial summary delivered to all attendees of the PTO meeting and an opportunity for any questions or review if requested.
Section 5: Counting & Collecting Money When collecting and counting money for any reason, a second person shall be present at all times and also do a second count for totals to then be verified. Money should not be taken out of the school building unless it will be deposited at that time. If money is left at school, it will be locked in the safe.
Section 6: Deposits All money from school events shall be deposited in the bank within three (3) business days of the end of the event or receipt and deposit verification confirmed with the President or another Board member.
Section 7: Reimbursements The Treasurer can make/reimburse non-budgeted expenditures up to $50. If the Treasurer needs reimbursement for an expense, the check should be signed by the alternated signer on the account. Board members need to approve any non-budgeted expenditures over $50 and can approve budget expenditure changes up to $250. Anything over that amount not in budget must be voted on by the general membership at a general meeting.
2023-2024 Elected PTO Board: Emily Murphy, PTO President Shana Spinney, PTO Vice President Candice Harig, PTO Treasurer Ashley Marchand, PTO Secretary Josie Young, Committee Chair
Dana Champion, Emmons Lake Elementary School Principal